Sunday, January 29, 2006

I'd contemplate doing something for new year's, but it's absolutely horrendous outside. Pouring rain and it looks miserable outside. Not that I have anything in particular to do or family to visit.

Chinese New Year is much more of a family celebration, than with friends or random strangers. It's like how Christmas you spend with your family - have a big dinner, exchange gifts, etc. Chinese New Year, you also generally have a big dinner with family, but instead of gifts, you get cold hard cash in "red packets" (lei see), given by the married couples to the unmarried. This is in contrast to the New Year according to the Gregorian calendar, which I consider to be a holiday that you'd tend to spend with friends or even with complete strangers in a big party, rather than with family.

I never had much family back in Winnipeg, so Chinese New Year was never a huge deal. I would only ever get red packets from 3 families - parents, aunt+uncle on mom's side, uncle+aunt on dad's. If however, I was in Hong Kong, where my grandmas live along with most of my aunts, uncles, and cousins, I could imagine massive family dinners and just rolling in the dough (mom has 5 brothers and sisters, dad has 6).

As it stands, at least I have two red packets. My sisters brought them from my parents when they came to visit last weekend. I put them under my pillow when I slept last night. Apparently it gives good luck or something.